Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament

July 30, 2016May 2, 2017Brian Glass Leave a comment

Screen Shot 2016-07-29 at 6.41.46 PM In Part 1, we began a discussion of how the Church relates to the Ark of the Covenant. The beginning of this relationship of course begins in the Old Testament, when the Ark is constructed.

Overlaid in pure gold, the Ark of the Covenant was a rectangular wooden chest constructed in proportions approximately equivalent to the golden rectangle. Attached to the four corners of the Ark were golden rings for the purpose of load bearing. Gold overlaid wooden poles were threaded through the rings to facilitate transportation of the Ark. Matching the dimensions of its upper surface, a golden propitiatory hammered of a single piece of gold rested atop the Ark. Arising from each end of the propitiatory, an angel faced toward the center, wings outstretched (Exodus 25:10-20 OSB). The Apostle Paul tells us that the Ark contained “the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant” (Hebrews 9:4). The space above the mercy seat was the holiest place in the temple, for God declared,

There I will make Myself known to you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat [the propitiatory], from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of testimony, about everything I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel (Exodus 25:22).

The most significant role the Ark played in the life of the children of Israel was as the place of atonement or propitiation for sin. Only once per year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) did the priest enter the holiest place in the temple to enact the cleansing of the sanctuary. Prior to this great annual cleansing, the priest would perform an elaborate process of self-cleansing and sacrifice in preparation for his entrance into the presence of God, lest he die. After clouding the Ark with the smoke of incense, he would first sprinkle the blood of the bull sacrificed for his own sins upon the eastern side of the propitiatory, and then he would sprinkle the blood of the goat offered as a sin offering for all the people (Leviticus 16:1-19).

In addition to being the throne of God, the container of the tablets of the testimony, and the place of reconciliation with God, the Ark came to represent something of a talisman of power among the Israelites, at times being carried into battle. In the case of Jericho it was processed around the city for seven days, after which the city collapsed and the inhabitants were overcome (Joshua 3:14-17). The story of Uzzah is another example of its great power and the absolute necessity of following established handling procedures. After its return to Israel by the Philistines, the Ark was being transported improperly and seemed to be teetering on the cart upon which it was riding. Uzzah reached out his hand to steady it and was instantly killed (2 Samuel 6:1-11).

The Ark remained in Israel through most of the period of time related to us by the Old Testament. There are several legends as to what happened to the Ark during and after the exile, but no certainty. In the second book of Maccabees, a letter is quoted explaining that the Prophet Jeremiah had been commanded by God to hide the Ark in a cave (2 Maccabees 2:4-8). Another legend claims that the Ark was taken to Ethiopia where it still remains. The only thing that is certain is that the Ark was missing when Herod’s temple was built. In other words, the Ark was absent from the temple during the events recorded in the New Testament and thereafter.

In Part 3, we’ll discuss possible New Testament foreshadowing of the Church’s future typological understanding of the Ark.

Ark of the Covenant – Intro

July 22, 2016September 27, 2016Brian Glass Leave a comment

The first topic I’d like to discuss is the meaning behind the Ark of the Covenant. I’ve spent a fair amount of time studying how the Church views the Ark and thus I expect this will be a rather lengthy series of posts.

Few emblems in salvation history evoke the level of mystique borne by the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark is the “Holy Grail” of the Old Testament in a manner of speaking. While the Ark contained great power and served as the throne of God on earth in its day, it, as many of the other ancient emblems prior to the incarnation, served a typological role referencing its antitype further into the future. The Ark is most frequently related by the Church to the most holy Theotokos and ever virgin Mary, who is sometimes called the Ark of the New Covenant. It is this typological relationship that the present series explores.

It is clear from a review of the Scriptures, patristic literature, so-called apocryphal accounts, hymnology, festal celebrations, iconography, and other forms of tradition, that the Church’s expression of this typal relationship develops over the centuries. This series examines, as chronologically as possible, evidence from the life of the Church demonstrating the ways in which this typology is expressed, discussed, and understood and how the expression of the typology develops as the Church deepens its understanding.

In my next post, I’ll discuss how the Ark was viewed in Old Testament terms.

Introduction

July 22, 2016July 22, 2016Brian Glass Leave a comment

Welcome to Parochianus. That’s meant to be a description of my place in the universe. I often recall Gag Halfrunt’s description of Zaphod Beeblebrox in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, “he’s just this guy, you know?” Well, I’m just this guy. To be slightly more precise, I’m a parishioner, or parochianus in Latin. I might also be described as a husband, father, software engineer, manager of engineers, hiker, biker, or runner. Those words describe my relationships to other things in the universe. Biker describes my relationship with a piece of metal and rubber. Manager describes my relationship with the software engineers I work with during the day. Father describes my relationship with three very short people and two teenagers. Parochianus, on the other hand, describes my relationship with a far broader group of people, and in fact most accurately describes my place in the universe. It describes my relationship with those who are inside the Church and it describes my relationship with those who are outside the Church. Most importantly, it describes my relationship with God.

I’m not a priest or a deacon or even a reader, though I am a member of the “priesthood of all believers.” I may not be clergy, but I am something of an armchair theologian and amateur Latinist. I’m an Orthodox Christian who lives in the west and is by nature western. On this blog I hope to share a bit of that. I expect a large percentage of what I share will be research and reflections on Orthodoxy. But I wouldn’t be surprised if a bit of our Colorado mountains peak through, or a touch of family fun, or even reflections on herding cats. If any of those things interest you, welcome.